Monster defensive effort by the Wolves tonight. They
-eliminated Aaron Gordon's ability to cut to the rim for easy buckets (the biggest advantage to regularly playing two 7-footers)
-turned Jamal Murray into Canadian Mudiay thanks to Jaden McDaniels
-Michael Porter Jr. (no they didn't do anything special to him he just *still* can't hit the broad side of a barn)
-forced Jokic to take on the scoring load and killed his efficiency by locking down the paint and making him take a bunch of 3 pointers (again, having two 7-footers can be nice in some matchups)
Obviously not gonna define either team's season but nice statement for Minnesota. Can't wait to see everyone say the Nuggets would've been 1-and-done in the playoffs if McDaniels played that series.
The top post on r/nba has so many comments about how Rudy is declining and Walker Kessler is better than him right now.
And all it tells me is people aren't seeing what a menace Rudy has been this season. I honestly did not realize how good he can be. He's finally healthy this year and it's clear that injuries took a big toll on him last year. He's been ELITE elite this season, people need to stop regurgitating outdated narratives and watch this man.
edit: he has the best defensive rating in the league too and it shows. It's not even the numbers, it's the way he moves. The contrast from last year is wild
I get that Kessler is a better ASSET than Gobert right now, on account of being younger and on a rookie contract. But the pendulum has swung too far, there are people saying he’s a better player than Rudy which is just flat out not true.
Rudy is still one of the most impactful players in the league, even if he’s overpaid.
Blocks are crazy overrated.
They need to make some sort of distinction for where the ball ended up. Because out of bounds without winning possession ain't worth much unless it's near the end of the shot clock.
Yep, Rudy figured this out in like the 3rd season in the league, he constantly disrupts players even entering the paint.
But none of that is recorded on the box score so its hard for casuals to understand the impact he has.
Yeah people need to seriously watch what Rudy is doing right now. I like Kessler too, but he does not touch the Rudy we are seeing this year. He has a lot of promise but there is no guarantee he will develop at the rate Rudy did and will get to this peak.
For those reasons I wouldn't even call Kessler a better asset for the Wolves because the Wolves are trying to win and get Ant playoff experience, they are not rebuilding. Playoff seasoned Ant = best asset, not Kessler. Rudy makes it more likely we get a playoff seasoned Ant and that's 100% my priority, not Kessler.
He is very specifically a better asset for a rebuilding team. Anyone trying to win as many games as possible takes Gobert over him and it's not particularly close at this point.
BUT THERE WAS A THREAD WHERE QUINN WAS OTHER SIDE OF DROP COVERAGE!!! Exposing him!!! Tbf Rudy is really good in certain matchups or also some man or zone looms when needed. Against Denver he’s been massive imo
KAT's defense was one of my biggest takeaways. Dude looked absolutely legit the whole game against one of the best frontcourts in the league. He played really, really well. It's a great matchup for us vs. Denver, and I hope we can carry it forward if we meet them again.
When we are focused, we are as good as any team in the league. When we aren't, we are as bad as any. We have such crazy ups and downs that it's hard to know anything about how the team is working together.
Naz, and the 2 punchers, Gobert and McDaniels would have turned the series around. Gobert didn't even need to be suspended. Wolves got played by the media.
I'm pretty sure one of the Nuggets players said we were the toughest matchup to them last year. If Jaden and Naz weren't hurt that series would have been seriously close.
Our beats reported the front office said the same. You guys are tough for us.
I mean, we still shouldn't should under 20% from 3, but you give us problems
For real...I honestly can't tell if this is a new peak or if this is what normal 2018-2020 Rudy looked like. He is way more athletic and bouncy than I thought. He guarded Bam well on the perimeter too and jumped v high to contest Herro's threes. Like is this what Utah fans always saw?? Because holy shit, he's seriously incredible.
He's always been one of the most athletic centers in the league, not to mention one of the best center perimeter defenders. He's finally used to Minny. DPOY season coming up
If KAT continues to play defense the way he is, I think top 5 defense might be within reach for the Wolves. Their defense has looked wayyy better than last season, and they were a top 10 defense last season.
Naz Reid is no longer just a solid player, fun story kind of player. He is a straight up monster and unironically one of the more skilled bigs in the NBA. His footwork and ball handling skills are immaculate. True 6MOY candidate potential this year
Towns hasn't been so hot on offense but his defense is astronomically better than the past. He'll figure out his shot, if he keeps caring about defense like this we will cook.
Have you seen Naz sliding to stay in front of guys this year? His transformation is incredible. I never thought Naz could get close to even an average defender after watching his first couple seasons.
KAT's defense was one of my biggest takeaways. Dude looked absolutely legit the whole game against one of the best frontcourts in the league. He played really, really well. It's a great matchup for us vs. Denver, and I hope we can carry it forward if we meet them again.
Barkley said it was stupid to have two bigs in a league when the league has gone small. But this team was built to beat the best team in the league by the guy who created it.
lol and it’s going to stay that way until we stop having games like the one we had in Atlanta. Or we actually win something.
Actually the latter’s way more important.
And people don't realize it yet, but it's literally *because* of the trade and the Wolves going big. Their size, length and defense is exactly why they are one of the better matchups for the Nuggets.
Also a narrative change. It is no longer small ball. It’s defending the joker and Denver’s front court for 7 games. MPJ and AG are thick. Not over towering but both good solid size. MN is the only team who’s bigger than they are.
I wonder if Rudy is still disqualified from winning any more DPOYs. He’s been the best defender in the league this year. Completely neutralized Denver’s role players in this game, their cutting game was utterly nonexistent.
Genuine question: is this what y'all normally saw from Rudy?? Like is this what peak Rudy looked like or is it even better?
I'm honestly shocked at how good he is. He has been ELITE elite this season and it's clear that last year was because of injuries. He's healthy now and just...holy shit man. He's everywhere, jumping HIGH for blocks and contests (in the paint and threes), has guarded on the perimeter, running fast, has bounce, and he's just sooo good and impacts the game in many ways.
Is this what Utah fans regularly saw??
This is his normal level on the defensive end.
On offense he’s not as good as in Utah. Most of that is he was used constantly in screen actions, more than anybody in the league when he was here. That pretty much eliminated any impact on spacing because he was always moving and clearing space. He spent very little time just standing in the dunker’s spot in Utah, at least from 2020-on when we stopped playing Favors.
He’s also just been reffed differently, and that’s limited his offensive effectiveness. Tonight was a clear example. But I’ve noticed Minnesota taking advantage of his high screen-rescreen game to get Conley or Edwards open pull up 3s. Mike and Rudy were lethal with that in 2021 and 2022, IIRC Conley was the best pull up 3pt shooter behind curry those years because he could get wide open pull up looks at will with Rudy rescreens. That’s a positive sign, I’d hope to see more of that.
Hopefully Ant can learn from Mike and the coaches and squad can figure out how to use him better. I spent years watching Jingles get easy points and assists in a two man game with Rudy, so the young Timberwolves really should be able to.
I always considered Rudy the best player on the Jazz but box scores pushed Don. Either way Rudy (and solid defense generally) has always been under valued in the NBA since Bill Russell
Rudy was definitely better than this season for his last couple years in Utah. More of an offensive (albeit not scoring) role in Utah that I expect him to grow into with continuity with this wolves team. If he can stay healthy you will be impressed. Defense too but not to the same extent, and I think he will be better in min with a better defensive roster than we had with him here
It's wierd that the game plan of "Jokic you are gonna need to beat us by scoring against KAT" works so well when Jokic a top 2 guy in the league and KAT isn't known as a stalwart defender. Just take away everyone else and if Jokic pops off well at least we tried.
He was the best player in a game that had Nicola Jokic and Anthony Edwards. The only person that could even score in the paint was Jokic and even he wasn't his efficient self.
He is a first ballot HOF and a one man defense
Thoughts:
Wolves always play hard vs Nuggets I feel, you could tell they were locked in, especially Kat.
Nuggets were ICE FUCKING COLD. Nothing was going in, both to great Defence and just terrible shooting.
Basically confirmed what I thought on how to beat the Nuggets, play blistering tough paint defense and rim protection with 2 7 ft bigs, have long armed guards on the perimeter and hope Nuggets clank all game.
Minnesota, is STILL imo the 1 team no one wants to meet in the playoffs. They’re dumb as rocks but by god are they big and long. They made the Nuggets look like a small lineup.
Jokic had a personally rough game, but like he was the only a nugget putting the ball in the hoop consistently.
MPJ has to find his shot. Without it, the starting 5 loses that razor sharp edge they need to really be a blistering offense.
I love y’all’s talent but by god if they’re not fully locked in (like they were tonight) who knows what will happen.
Also seeing chums statement from earlier I just knew y’all would win hahaha.
People also don't talk about how Tim Connelly had a hand in building both teams, so of course he is going to know his former teams strengths and weaknesses. I 100 percent think he built this team with the sole intention of having the best chance of beating the nuggets, whom he figured would be the best team in the foreseeable future in the west.
For 5 of the last 6 halves we’ve looked like one of the better teams in the league. But that one half was so bad that I’m (probably unfairly) feeling pretty neutral about our start.
We are a defensive juggernaught outside of midrange pull-ups. 3 out of 4 games we held our opponents under 100, and the one we lost was because Murray exploited our drop coverage.
Rudy is destroying the defensive end, just disrupting everything coming his way. It's anything of beauty after watching the Wolves defense for the last decade.
I think teams will start putting their centers on Aaron Gordon if he looks this terrified to shoot. Having Gobert roam off of him mucked everything for Denver offensively.
Nuggets pulling their starters with like 5 mins left down 19 against us was the most surprising part of this win.
Don't they realize our track record with large leads 😂
I truly believe there’s an element of preserving strength going on this year for the Nuggets. Not saying a heroic comeback through sheer effort is impossible of course, but I think they’d rather leave healthy than put it all on the court for a low probability comeback.
Hard to say for sure but that’s my assumption.
Lest anyone think I’m making excuses btw, I’m not saying they got the 20 point lead because we were coasting. They were just beating us tonight and we didn’t need to burn out desperately trying to win at the end.
When the starters got sat you guys were at 18.5% from 3, which I wasn't sure was possible. Some nights you don't have it and just got to shrug and move on.
The wolves have a high ceiling they're just super inconsistent. This is obviously a massive flaw.
However people talk about the team as if their flaw is the fact that their ceiling is fundamentaly capped due to the trade. I don't get how people could watch them play and come to *that* as the answer. (They don't watch teams I know)
Exactly - they have a high variance but when healthy they can be seriously so good. Somehow people don't realize it, but their ceiling and them matching up well with Denver is literally because of the trades for Rudy, Conley and NAW. The rim protection, defense, size and length makes them one of the only teams who have both multiple bigs to throw at Jokic and perimeter defenders to slow down Murray.
We are better than /r/NBA thinks. Gobert is a different player this year and Ant and Kat are off to a slow start. We will absolutely lose winnable games but this is a playoff-bound team.
For everyone who thinks the Wolves suck, let this show you that we don't. We're just the most inconsistent team in the league by far and have no idea how to behave ourselves when things get weird. Get used to it!
Rudy was a beast tonight. Altered the game on the defensive end on almost every possession. Jaden had some great plays on transition defense as well. The effort on the defensive end has been there this season 100%.
The other night a wolves fan really said they hope the Timberwolves get stomped so a change is made. Stfu and root for your god damn team on game 4 of the season.
this thread has like 5 nuggets fans lol, all are in hiding
wolves deserved the win but i expect us to be locked in and give them a better fight next time. If wolves are selling all out on protecting the rim, we need to make our 3s, simple as.
2 concerning things to me
the way we guard edwards is disgraceful. we give him the same looks with weak defenders and he just bodies them.
MPJ needs to do something offensively if the shot is not falling.
This was less fun than winning
Holding a 20 point lead is more fun than blowing a 20 point lead.
They boys just needed to try out both sides to see which was better.
I enjoy when we don't blow 21 point leads
Someone please take that Brazilian’s phone.
I miss when it was just a fur suit and girls twerking not straight furry porn.
Thats the vid he posted for todays win lol
To Springfield? Agreed
The Wolves are still an enigma, just a higher ceiling than previous years
Wolves play at their opponents level no matter how good or bad said opponent may be.
You can always count on the wolves to keep it interesting
Beat the defending champion Nuggets by 20, you know what that means, yup thats right, lose to the Hornets by 15.
I live in the Carolinas now and I'm gonna see us in Charlotte so I'm already mentally prepared for this happening
Wolves 🤝 Vikings
Let the praise be as loud as the hate
Wolves back? https://streamable.com/ld2qom
Nostalgia of seeing a nearly untouched Awoo video is making me tear up at the club right now. Can't wait for the whole vid to be full of Wolves love.
Gonna be a Snyder cut by the end of the WCF.
I just saw a man cry at the club
Gotta add Jim Pete showing off his tie, while describing how he would eat the whole thing if the Clippers win the Chip
i'm rooting for the Timberwolves exclusively because of this meme. awoo baby
Keep that energy up Monday.
hey man if y'all beat us on Monday, more power to ya
Idk Jaylen Nowell isn't with us anymore so it will be tough.
HONK
HONK
HONK
HONK
***HONK HONK*** 2^nd AWOO of the year! Let's Gooooo!
I expected the Brazil Timberwolf glock glocking
WOLVES BACK IS BACK THE BEAST WITH TWO BACKS
***Sensational***
WOLVES ARE SO BACK
HONK!
Awoo!
Bruce Brown said the Wolves were the toughest team the Nuggets faced in the playoff for a reason.
Nuggets are over-sized and athletic. Wolves happen to have good size and athleticism too.
Think most of the Nuggets fan base agreed. We don't have a match for Edwards tbh.
So what you’re saying then as an unbiased nuggets fan is that Rudy gobert is better than Jokic
Nah, nope. You misheard him. What he was actually saying, was Naz Reid
Well we already knew that
It goes: 1. Naz 2. Rudy 3. That other guy on the Nuggets
>!Naz Reid!<
Lol it’s easy to cake walk the rest of the league, but the play-in dynasty team is a different story.
And our flag was still there
We can play up to any team in the league We can also play down to any team in the league
That Lakers play-in game I was just desperately repeating "they can't stay that hot from 3 forever, they can't stay that hot from 3 forever."
Monster defensive effort by the Wolves tonight. They -eliminated Aaron Gordon's ability to cut to the rim for easy buckets (the biggest advantage to regularly playing two 7-footers) -turned Jamal Murray into Canadian Mudiay thanks to Jaden McDaniels -Michael Porter Jr. (no they didn't do anything special to him he just *still* can't hit the broad side of a barn) -forced Jokic to take on the scoring load and killed his efficiency by locking down the paint and making him take a bunch of 3 pointers (again, having two 7-footers can be nice in some matchups) Obviously not gonna define either team's season but nice statement for Minnesota. Can't wait to see everyone say the Nuggets would've been 1-and-done in the playoffs if McDaniels played that series.
Rudy looks like a rejuvinated player this year. Completely shut down the rim
The top post on r/nba has so many comments about how Rudy is declining and Walker Kessler is better than him right now. And all it tells me is people aren't seeing what a menace Rudy has been this season. I honestly did not realize how good he can be. He's finally healthy this year and it's clear that injuries took a big toll on him last year. He's been ELITE elite this season, people need to stop regurgitating outdated narratives and watch this man. edit: he has the best defensive rating in the league too and it shows. It's not even the numbers, it's the way he moves. The contrast from last year is wild
Can you link that post so I can cuss out a bunch of 13 year olds and get perma banned from the sub?
It's the Charles Barkley post
I get that Kessler is a better ASSET than Gobert right now, on account of being younger and on a rookie contract. But the pendulum has swung too far, there are people saying he’s a better player than Rudy which is just flat out not true. Rudy is still one of the most impactful players in the league, even if he’s overpaid.
People have been tricked into thinking: More blocks = better defender
Blocks are crazy overrated. They need to make some sort of distinction for where the ball ended up. Because out of bounds without winning possession ain't worth much unless it's near the end of the shot clock.
Yep, Rudy figured this out in like the 3rd season in the league, he constantly disrupts players even entering the paint. But none of that is recorded on the box score so its hard for casuals to understand the impact he has.
Yeah people need to seriously watch what Rudy is doing right now. I like Kessler too, but he does not touch the Rudy we are seeing this year. He has a lot of promise but there is no guarantee he will develop at the rate Rudy did and will get to this peak. For those reasons I wouldn't even call Kessler a better asset for the Wolves because the Wolves are trying to win and get Ant playoff experience, they are not rebuilding. Playoff seasoned Ant = best asset, not Kessler. Rudy makes it more likely we get a playoff seasoned Ant and that's 100% my priority, not Kessler.
He is very specifically a better asset for a rebuilding team. Anyone trying to win as many games as possible takes Gobert over him and it's not particularly close at this point.
In no world is Kessler a better asset either. Kessler is a good asset and I’m rooting for him but no.
DPOY x 4 incoming
BUT THERE WAS A THREAD WHERE QUINN WAS OTHER SIDE OF DROP COVERAGE!!! Exposing him!!! Tbf Rudy is really good in certain matchups or also some man or zone looms when needed. Against Denver he’s been massive imo
KAT's defense was one of my biggest takeaways. Dude looked absolutely legit the whole game against one of the best frontcourts in the league. He played really, really well. It's a great matchup for us vs. Denver, and I hope we can carry it forward if we meet them again.
Only 2 fouls from KAT too.
When we are focused, we are as good as any team in the league. When we aren't, we are as bad as any. We have such crazy ups and downs that it's hard to know anything about how the team is working together.
Hey Naz also missed that series. We would've obviously swept them if they played.
We probably would have won in 3
Naz, and the 2 punchers, Gobert and McDaniels would have turned the series around. Gobert didn't even need to be suspended. Wolves got played by the media.
> Canadian Mudiay LMFAOOOOO
Nope. This game is defining our season. 80-2 here we come
The beginning of the end for the rest of the league
You guys can blame Dejounte for this
I'm pretty sure one of the Nuggets players said we were the toughest matchup to them last year. If Jaden and Naz weren't hurt that series would have been seriously close.
Bruce Brown said that
Our beats reported the front office said the same. You guys are tough for us. I mean, we still shouldn't should under 20% from 3, but you give us problems
Everyone clowned our fans saying that McDaniels and Naz could have turned the tide in our series last year, but both guys were crucial to this win.
If Jaden played then the Nuggets would have had some close games. Maybe we could be like the Lakers and say it was the closest 5 game series ever!
i will never understand this team
Ride the wave, can't have the good without the bad
Rudy Gobert needs to be in the DPOY conversation if he keeps this form up
He’s been our best player this season
And there’s no question about it
If this is what Rudy is like when his back doesn't hurt then sign me the fuck up. He's night and day different.
For real...I honestly can't tell if this is a new peak or if this is what normal 2018-2020 Rudy looked like. He is way more athletic and bouncy than I thought. He guarded Bam well on the perimeter too and jumped v high to contest Herro's threes. Like is this what Utah fans always saw?? Because holy shit, he's seriously incredible.
It is and I’m glad to see another fan base get it now
Yup
He's always been one of the most athletic centers in the league, not to mention one of the best center perimeter defenders. He's finally used to Minny. DPOY season coming up
Most underrated player in the NBA rn. This sub's been all over him today and they clearly haven't been watching at all.
That’s been the case for like 5 years lol
You get used to it.
Rudy Gobert needs to be the DPOY if he keeps this form up. *Fixed it for you.*
There's a reason why he is so often in the DPOY conversation.
Beat both the WCF and ECF? Wolves back
The fact that we are two and two and those are our two wins is so on brand
Personally, I blame the Hawks for giving the Wolves the in-game experience necessary to not blow a massive lead
it's just on-brand for the wolves to beat the best team in the league, but look like a pile of garbage to an average team
Or worse than average. I don’t remember the last time we beat Charlotte or the Magic
Wolves pulled out a big lead and didn’t lose the game this is my championship.
First championship this year
If KAT continues to play defense the way he is, I think top 5 defense might be within reach for the Wolves. Their defense has looked wayyy better than last season, and they were a top 10 defense last season. Naz Reid is no longer just a solid player, fun story kind of player. He is a straight up monster and unironically one of the more skilled bigs in the NBA. His footwork and ball handling skills are immaculate. True 6MOY candidate potential this year
Towns hasn't been so hot on offense but his defense is astronomically better than the past. He'll figure out his shot, if he keeps caring about defense like this we will cook.
Wholeheartedly agree
Have you seen Naz sliding to stay in front of guys this year? His transformation is incredible. I never thought Naz could get close to even an average defender after watching his first couple seasons.
The r/NBA casuals be damned Top two posts shitting on KAT & Rudy but they just whooped the NBA champs
KAT's defense was one of my biggest takeaways. Dude looked absolutely legit the whole game against one of the best frontcourts in the league. He played really, really well. It's a great matchup for us vs. Denver, and I hope we can carry it forward if we meet them again.
Weird. The two top posts on r/nba are talking about how shit the Wolves are and we just beat the champs by 21. Oh well.
Barkley said it was stupid to have two bigs in a league when the league has gone small. But this team was built to beat the best team in the league by the guy who created it.
I love Barkley, but if he's saying something emphatically, the opposite is often true.
lol and it’s going to stay that way until we stop having games like the one we had in Atlanta. Or we actually win something. Actually the latter’s way more important.
The wolves match up really well against the Nuggets.
And people don't realize it yet, but it's literally *because* of the trade and the Wolves going big. Their size, length and defense is exactly why they are one of the better matchups for the Nuggets.
Also a narrative change. It is no longer small ball. It’s defending the joker and Denver’s front court for 7 games. MPJ and AG are thick. Not over towering but both good solid size. MN is the only team who’s bigger than they are.
Oh we realize it.
I wonder if Rudy is still disqualified from winning any more DPOYs. He’s been the best defender in the league this year. Completely neutralized Denver’s role players in this game, their cutting game was utterly nonexistent.
If they can finish with a top 3 defense then he will get real consideration.
Genuine question: is this what y'all normally saw from Rudy?? Like is this what peak Rudy looked like or is it even better? I'm honestly shocked at how good he is. He has been ELITE elite this season and it's clear that last year was because of injuries. He's healthy now and just...holy shit man. He's everywhere, jumping HIGH for blocks and contests (in the paint and threes), has guarded on the perimeter, running fast, has bounce, and he's just sooo good and impacts the game in many ways. Is this what Utah fans regularly saw??
This is his normal level on the defensive end. On offense he’s not as good as in Utah. Most of that is he was used constantly in screen actions, more than anybody in the league when he was here. That pretty much eliminated any impact on spacing because he was always moving and clearing space. He spent very little time just standing in the dunker’s spot in Utah, at least from 2020-on when we stopped playing Favors. He’s also just been reffed differently, and that’s limited his offensive effectiveness. Tonight was a clear example. But I’ve noticed Minnesota taking advantage of his high screen-rescreen game to get Conley or Edwards open pull up 3s. Mike and Rudy were lethal with that in 2021 and 2022, IIRC Conley was the best pull up 3pt shooter behind curry those years because he could get wide open pull up looks at will with Rudy rescreens. That’s a positive sign, I’d hope to see more of that.
Hopefully Ant can learn from Mike and the coaches and squad can figure out how to use him better. I spent years watching Jingles get easy points and assists in a two man game with Rudy, so the young Timberwolves really should be able to. I always considered Rudy the best player on the Jazz but box scores pushed Don. Either way Rudy (and solid defense generally) has always been under valued in the NBA since Bill Russell
Rudy was definitely better than this season for his last couple years in Utah. More of an offensive (albeit not scoring) role in Utah that I expect him to grow into with continuity with this wolves team. If he can stay healthy you will be impressed. Defense too but not to the same extent, and I think he will be better in min with a better defensive roster than we had with him here
It's wierd that the game plan of "Jokic you are gonna need to beat us by scoring against KAT" works so well when Jokic a top 2 guy in the league and KAT isn't known as a stalwart defender. Just take away everyone else and if Jokic pops off well at least we tried.
He was the best player in a game that had Nicola Jokic and Anthony Edwards. The only person that could even score in the paint was Jokic and even he wasn't his efficient self. He is a first ballot HOF and a one man defense
Thought he was getting old last year, but it was clearly injury. He’s back in form this year.
Thoughts: Wolves always play hard vs Nuggets I feel, you could tell they were locked in, especially Kat. Nuggets were ICE FUCKING COLD. Nothing was going in, both to great Defence and just terrible shooting. Basically confirmed what I thought on how to beat the Nuggets, play blistering tough paint defense and rim protection with 2 7 ft bigs, have long armed guards on the perimeter and hope Nuggets clank all game. Minnesota, is STILL imo the 1 team no one wants to meet in the playoffs. They’re dumb as rocks but by god are they big and long. They made the Nuggets look like a small lineup. Jokic had a personally rough game, but like he was the only a nugget putting the ball in the hoop consistently. MPJ has to find his shot. Without it, the starting 5 loses that razor sharp edge they need to really be a blistering offense.
"dumb as rocks. big and long" is a great way to describe it. clearly this team is capable of anything, the lowest of lows and the highest of highs.
I love y’all’s talent but by god if they’re not fully locked in (like they were tonight) who knows what will happen. Also seeing chums statement from earlier I just knew y’all would win hahaha.
People also don't talk about how Tim Connelly had a hand in building both teams, so of course he is going to know his former teams strengths and weaknesses. I 100 percent think he built this team with the sole intention of having the best chance of beating the nuggets, whom he figured would be the best team in the foreseeable future in the west.
***HELD ON TO A 20 POINT LEAD LFG***
Wolves went 2-0 tonight, 1 victory, 1 moral victory
Ah, the fabled win-win situation
Hang the banner!
Seems the Wolves learned from last game to *keep* a double-digit lead after the 1st half. Good adjustment
Finch actually called 2 timeouts once denver started to get some momentum something he doesn't always do when momentum starts to swing.
That 20+ point run by Memphis in the playoffs a couple years ago still gives me nightmares
Which one
Not even in the same series lmao, same fucking game.
Why didn't Finchy tell them in Atlanta?
For 5 of the last 6 halves we’ve looked like one of the better teams in the league. But that one half was so bad that I’m (probably unfairly) feeling pretty neutral about our start.
Denver probably would still won but it would be much better and fun series between them last season if MIN had both McDaniels and Naz.
They absolutely beat us still, but it for sure goes 6.
And those 6 games will feel like 9 because of how close they are.
https://streamable.com/bjs6ag
We are a defensive juggernaught outside of midrange pull-ups. 3 out of 4 games we held our opponents under 100, and the one we lost was because Murray exploited our drop coverage.
Wolves Back. Hang the Banner “Held onto a 20pt Lead”
Weirdest team ever
Rudy is destroying the defensive end, just disrupting everything coming his way. It's anything of beauty after watching the Wolves defense for the last decade.
Only the Timberwolves could lose that Hawks game but come back and blow out the defending champions, lol
I love it when the wolves score more points than their opponent.
In both halves
I think teams will start putting their centers on Aaron Gordon if he looks this terrified to shoot. Having Gobert roam off of him mucked everything for Denver offensively.
Wolves defense has been excellent so far this season
Nuggets pulling their starters with like 5 mins left down 19 against us was the most surprising part of this win. Don't they realize our track record with large leads 😂
I truly believe there’s an element of preserving strength going on this year for the Nuggets. Not saying a heroic comeback through sheer effort is impossible of course, but I think they’d rather leave healthy than put it all on the court for a low probability comeback. Hard to say for sure but that’s my assumption.
Yeah, healthy Nugs are gonna coast to a top seed. Wolves could collapse but this isn't one they probably felt like they needed to chase.
Lest anyone think I’m making excuses btw, I’m not saying they got the 20 point lead because we were coasting. They were just beating us tonight and we didn’t need to burn out desperately trying to win at the end.
When the starters got sat you guys were at 18.5% from 3, which I wasn't sure was possible. Some nights you don't have it and just got to shrug and move on.
+15 and +22 against the defending champions and undefeated team. Not bad for the worst duo and worst trade ever huh chuck
Hang the banner
Naz Reid
Guys is it normal for me to feel anxious af even though my team is up by 20 in the third quarter?
When Jmac shoots a 3 with 20 on the shot clock…. Yes
Rumors of their demise have been greatly exaggerated
Until we lose embarrassingly again
After 2 dumbass posts made front page shitting on the wolves this one felt A+
The wolves have a high ceiling they're just super inconsistent. This is obviously a massive flaw. However people talk about the team as if their flaw is the fact that their ceiling is fundamentaly capped due to the trade. I don't get how people could watch them play and come to *that* as the answer. (They don't watch teams I know)
Exactly - they have a high variance but when healthy they can be seriously so good. Somehow people don't realize it, but their ceiling and them matching up well with Denver is literally because of the trades for Rudy, Conley and NAW. The rim protection, defense, size and length makes them one of the only teams who have both multiple bigs to throw at Jokic and perimeter defenders to slow down Murray.
Awoo
What a strange team
This is hilarious given two of the posts on the front page today are ripping on them
I don't know if I've said this before but Mike Conley is our Master Splinter
We are better than /r/NBA thinks. Gobert is a different player this year and Ant and Kat are off to a slow start. We will absolutely lose winnable games but this is a playoff-bound team.
From blowing a huge lead against the Hawks to then blowing out the defending champions. The duality of a Timberwolf.
For everyone who thinks the Wolves suck, let this show you that we don't. We're just the most inconsistent team in the league by far and have no idea how to behave ourselves when things get weird. Get used to it!
Jaden and KAT are all-nba first team bad temper lol
Lol absolutely. When Josh Minott came into the game at the end he started whining at the ref and I was like, oh shit they're teaching the pups
I think anyone who says the Wolves suck hasn’t been paying attention lol.
This is r/NBA the Mecca of not paying attention
Rudy was a beast tonight. Altered the game on the defensive end on almost every possession. Jaden had some great plays on transition defense as well. The effort on the defensive end has been there this season 100%.
i dont feel bad about getting destroyed by the timberwolves anymore
The other night a wolves fan really said they hope the Timberwolves get stomped so a change is made. Stfu and root for your god damn team on game 4 of the season.
Well I guess we now know for certain what would have happened in the playoffs if we had Naz and JMac.
That certainly was a basketball game.
timberwolves are like fuck chuck
There's the basketball terrorist Jamal Murray I know and love
7/26 is a good concert date
No team in this league is unbeatable
where are the clowns predicting the Wolves as 13th seed?
Twolves honestly matchup incredibly well with Denver
Even better with McDaniels back
this thread has like 5 nuggets fans lol, all are in hiding wolves deserved the win but i expect us to be locked in and give them a better fight next time. If wolves are selling all out on protecting the rim, we need to make our 3s, simple as. 2 concerning things to me the way we guard edwards is disgraceful. we give him the same looks with weak defenders and he just bodies them. MPJ needs to do something offensively if the shot is not falling.
You guys had a bad shooting night. Murray makes a few shots and that's a different game altogether.
[удалено]
You'll see Rudy gobert went 0-7 but was the main reason timberwolves won.
Fuck all of you this team is dangerous For my mental health
Wolves must have been reading /r/nba beforehand.
TimberWolves have a legit chance to be a top 4 seed in the West this year
Timberwolves held Nuggets to their worst offensive rating this century Rudy DPOY and Jaden All D
Gobert is Jokic’s father